Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Ernestine's Moth (Phytometra ernestinana - 8480)


Ernestine's Moth 
(Phytometra ernestinana - 8480)



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Friday, August 05, 2016

Antlion (Glenurus gratus)



Antlion 
(Glenurus gratus)

While most antlion larvae live in soil and construct the familiar funnel-shaped ant traps, Glenurus gratus larvae live in tree holes among the wood dust and other organic detritus.  They feed on assorted insects such as termites, beetle larvae, and ants.  (University of Florida)

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Sunday, March 13, 2016

Porch Rat



Yes, squirrels are pests, and the speed at which they empty bird feeders can be infuriating, but how can you hate such a cute little critter?

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Friday, March 11, 2016

Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)



Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) 

One of the more common early spring wildflowers in the Ozarks.


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Wednesday, February 10, 2016

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)


White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) in our yard.

Detailed information from Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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Sunday, February 07, 2016

Smoky Sky



Our neighbor was burning off some of his land, filling the afternoon sky with heavy smoke.

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Thursday, February 04, 2016

Ozark Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis)






Last week Jo, Rusty and I made our annual trek down the creek to where Ozark Witch Hazel grows.

The text below originally appeared in a post published on January 24, 2008

The more common species of witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) grows throughout eastern North America. It blooms in the late fall. Hamamelis vernalis is native to the Ozarks region. It blooms during the late winter and continues until early spring and is usually found in gravel or rocky stream beds or at the base of rocky slopes along streams. The flowers tend to be more reddish and have a spicy aroma.

Witch-hazel has many traditional uses. It was the wood of choice for "dowsing" -- finding underground water (or sometimes other valuable objects) using a Y-shaped branch. Extracts from the leaves, twigs, and bark were used to reduce inflammation, stop bleeding, and check secretions of the mucous membranes. Astringent skin care products made from American witch-hazel are still available from Dickinson's.

Although I will probably never be at the right place at the right time, I'd really like to witness witch-hazel seed dispersal. Over the next year after blooming, two shiny black seeds develop in a woody capsule. The capsules mature at about the time the following year's flowers open. Then, the capsules split so explosively that they eject the seeds up to twenty-five feet away from the mother plant.
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Wednesday, February 03, 2016

A Different View


The view from our neighbors house.  Our road as it heads on up toward the main county 
road.  Neighbor's house is on top of hill.  His view of the surrounding countryside is 
much better than ours.  Still, when the weather is nasty and the wind is blowing,
I'm glad we're sheltered down in a hollow.

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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Clouds Across the Valley


Clouds across the valley on our afternoon walk.

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Monday, January 25, 2016

Frozen Fog



Sunshine after a couple of days of freezing fog.  (Photo by Jo.)

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